triangular, hooked and connected, as well as rhomboid, square, and many other variations. During the Han and Tang dynasties, accompanying the decline of bronze vessels and the prevalence of floral patterns, the key-fret pattern temporarily withdrew from the historical stage. It was not until the rise of the archaistic movement in the Song dynasty that the key-fret pattern, with its continuous repetition and unbroken extension, returned to public view due to its inherent rustic beauty. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the key-fret pattern was widely applied in the production of clothing, furniture, architecture, ceramics, and other items because of its auspicious meanings of "endless vitality," "unceasing wealth and honor," and "prolonged fortune and longevity." Shi Dabin's "carved red lacquer on Yixing clay body" applied the key-fret pattern to Yixing ware. The ewer uses Yixing clay as its body, coated with red vermillion lacquer on the exterior, with neat key-fret patterns decorating the neck area, finely carved with elaborate ornamentation. The Qing Qianlong period "Ewer with Figures in Landscape" housed in the Shanghai Museum also features the key-fret pattern in its "inscribed poem" section. The decorative key-fret pattern on Yixing ware typically employs the "stamping" technique in its craftsmanship, where the "回" (hui) character pattern is carved onto a stamp board in advance, and during the making of the Yixing clay body, the pattern is pressed onto the surface of the clay body from the stamp mold. The key-fret pattern is usually decorated on the rim, shoulder, and base of the vessel, encircling the entire piece. Gu Jingzhou, drawing upon the mature production techniques accumulated during his apprenticeship period, inherited the tradition of applying the key-fret pattern. --- [1] Gu Jingzhou, *Appreciation of Yixing Zisha Treasures*, Hong Kong: Joint Publishing (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., January 1992 edition, p. 46. [2] Ibid., p. 77.